Mounting means for sliding closure members



Nov. 19, 1963 M. RIEGELMAN MOUNTING MEANS FOR SLIDING CLOSURE MEMBERS Filed Aug. 16, 1961 INVENTOR. Hneev M Quiz/m4 flaw/ V United States Patent Calif, assignor to Calif., a

This invention rel-ates generally to sliding closure members, and more particularly, to new and useful mounting means for sliding screen doors and the like which are to be mounted in the casings of doorways, windows, etc.

Sliding screen doors are frequently mounted, for sliding movement, closely adjacent a sliding closure glass panel and a fixed glass panel. The casings are usually provided with cooperating means, such as parallel upstanding fins in the sill member of the casing, which act as the runner for bottom rollers mounted in both the sliding glass panel and the sliding screen door.

This bottom roller method and means of achieving the necessary rolling contact has been generally unsatisfactory because the weight of the screen door is so small that the rollers easily jump the sill track or fins, e.g., when children or adults mistakenly push or pull the screen door laterally to its direction of sliding movement.

Mainly because of this inherent disadvantage, the art is generally moving towards top-hung screen doors. The top-hung screen door, generally speaking, has a pair of upper vertical rollers, rotating about a horizontal axis of rotation, which are adapted to slip into a longitudinal channel provided in the top rail of the casing. Bottom rollers are also provided as in the past.

There are, however, several disadvantages to the tophung roller means for slidingly mounting a screen door. In order to initially position the screen door within the casing, it is evident that there must be sufficient overhead clearance, above the longitudinal channel in the upper rail of the casing, in order to insert and seat the vertically disposed top rollers within the channel. Thus, while the installation and removal of such sliding screen doors is a relatively simple matter, there exists so much play and looseness in actual operation that these screen doors often slip and fall from their railings to a great extent. Further, there are many situations in which the necessary clearance space is not available or is only available at the expense of other items. For example, the maximum open screen area may be reduced, or the size of the casing must be increased so that more material at greater cost is required.

Bearing in mind the foregoing, it is a major object of this invention to provide mounting means for a sliding closure member which permits easy installation or removal of the closure member from a casing, and also eliminates looseness and play of the closure member when installed in the casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sliding closure member for doorways, windows and the like, which can be installed in the casing to move closely adjacent and parallel to a fixed panel without unwarranted looseness or play, and yet be readily installed or removed from its casing.

A further object of this invention is to provide mounting means for a sliding closure member which permits highly effective non-binding rolling motion of the closure member in its casing, while prohibiting undue looseness and play of the closure member in its casing.

A still further object of this invention is to provide compact mounting means for a sliding closure member requiring little clearance space and simple cooperative railing structure in the casing to install the closure member.

Briefly, and in general terms, the foregoing and other 3,1 10,935 Patented Nov. 19, 1963 objects are preferably accomplished by providing a casing includlng an upper railing structure having a relatively vertical wall surface on one side, and a relatively horizontal ledge surface on the other side thereof, and a sliding closure member including a panel member having normally upper and lower edges, and roller means mounted to the panel member near the upper edge for rotatably engaging the upper railing structure of the casing. The roller means comprises first and second rollers having a common, generally vertical, axis of rotation, each roller engaging the vertical wall surface and the horizontal ledge surface of the railing structure, respectively, whereby the rollers are rotated in opposite directions during normal movement of the panel member. First and second spring biased wheels each having a relatively horizontal axis of rotation are mounted to the panel member near the lower edge thereof and engage a lower railing structure of the casing to carry a substantial part of the weight of the panel member.

Other features and objects will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View showing a sliding screen door mounted in the casing of a window;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view, taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1, of adjustable roller means normally attached to the top of a screen door and engaging railing structure of the window casing shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the roller means taken along the line 3-3, as indicated in FIGURE 2.

A sliding screen door, having mounting means which engages cooperative rail-ing structure of a window casing in accordance with this invention is shown in FIGURE 1. The drawing in this figure is partially broken away at certain points to reveal the cooperative arrangement between mounting means and railing structure (for the sliding screen door. Of course, the construction is not limited to windows or sliding screen doors, but is applicable to all openings which utilize a sliding closure member in a casing. For purposes of description, however, the construction shown in the drawings depicts a sliding screen door in a window construction.

A window casing 10 is set in an opening in wall 12 in the ordinary manner. The casing 10 is preferably fabricated from extruded aluminum frame members which are suitably formed to provide cooperating flanges, ridges and channels that engage and accommodate the sashes of a movable window member (not shown) and a normally fixed window member 14 (indicated in phantom lines). As shown in FIGURE 1, the fixed window member 14 is located in front of the sliding screen door 16, and its cooperating casing structure.

The sliding screen door 16 has a sash which is also preferably fabricated from extruded aluminum frame members including left and right stile members 18 and 20, and upper and lower rail members 22 and 24, respec tively. The sash of the sliding screen door 16 mounts a wire screen 26. Pull means 28 is suitably provided on the right stile member 20. Secured to the upper rail member 22 are adjustable roller means 30 and 32.

Top roller means 3i) and 32 cooperatively engage railing structure including a dependent vertical wall 34 and a horizontal ledge 36 on the upper header member of the casing 10. Mounted in the lower rail member 24 are spring-biased wheels 33 and 40 which are rotatably mounted on the ends of hook-shaped springs 42 and 44, respectively. The hook-shaped springs 42 and 44 are held in U-shaped brackets 46 and 48, respectively, within the lower rail member 24. The wheels 38 and 44) have, preferably, deeply grooved rolling surfaces which engage 3 the ridge railing structure St) on the lower sill member of the casing 10.

The wheels 38 and 46 thus are spring-biased downward upon the ridge railing structure 56 and tend to maintain the screen door 16 in a vertical plane so as to prevent movement of the screen door lateral to, the direction of sliding movement.

The upper and lower rail members 22 and 2d of the screen sash are similar in structure. The upper rail member 22 is sectionally shown in FIGURE 2, and can be seen to include a first wall 22a and a second wall 22!), which are joined and reinforced by interior webs 22c and 220, respectively. The web in the lower rail member 24, corresponding to web 220, is suitably cut away so that the U-shaped brackets 4-6 and 48 can be press-fitted into place within the lower rail member 24, as indicated in FIGURE 1. The hook-shaped springs 42 and a l are then pressed into the brackets 46 and 48 respectively, so that the wheels 38 and 40 are spring-biased in a downward direction. The rolling surfaces of the wheels 33 and 4d are deeply grooved to conform closely with the shape of the ridge railing structure 50.

The wire screen 26 is held in place in its sash by means of a continuous locking strip 52, shown in section in FIGURE 2, that is positioned completely around the inner sash edges of the members 22, 24, 26 and 28. All of the frame members of the sash of the sliding screen door 16 have similar cross sections including beaded flanges such as 22d, shown in FIGURE 2. The continuous locking strip 52 is preferably made of plastic having small longitudinal ridges on the cylindrical surface thereof, and is of suitable size to permit forceable pressing of the strip 52 past the bead of the flange 22a and web 22e, and subsequent expansion of the strip 52 between the flange 22d and web 222 to lock the edges of the wire screen 26 firmly in place.

The deeply grooved wheels 38 and 49 are spring-biased to engage the ridge railing structure 50 so as to tend to hold the sliding screen door 16 in a generally vertical plane. The upper end of the sliding screen door 16 is maintained in this vertical plane by the top roller means 30' and 32, cooperatively engaging the upper railing structure 34 and 36, as best seen in FIGURE 2.

4 has a conically tapering central hole which conforms with the contour of the collar 64. The top of the roller 66 is further countersunk so that the head 60a of the axle pin 64 is flush. The diameter of the flanged base 62a of the first roller 62 has a smaller diameter than the peripheral edge surface 66a of the second roller 66.

Thus, the roller means 36 and 3-2 each includes two roller sections or rollers 62 and 66 which respectively engage the vertical wall surface of the dependent wall 34a, and the horizontal surface of a ledge 36. The ledge 36 extends horizontally from a dependent wall 68 of the rail structure 34- so that the upper surface, only, of the ledge 36 is presented to the frwstoconical surface 63 of the flanged base 62a of the lower roller 62.

If the sliding screen door 16 is moved in a direction as indicated by the arrow 76 shown in FIGURE 3, the first roller will be rotated in the direction of the arrow 72 because of the frictional Contact between the lower surface of flanged base 62a and the upper surface of the ledge 36. The second roller 66, however, will be rotated in an opposite direction, as indicated by the arrow 74, because of the frictional contact between the peripheral edge surface 66a and the vertical surface of the dependent wall 34a. This counter-rotation of rollers maintains extreme steadiness and smoothness of movement of the sliding screen door 16. The roller means 30 and 32 primarily serves to hold the sliding screen door 16 in a vertical plane generally established by the deeply grooved wheels 38 and 4th on the ridge railing structure 50. Thus, the roller means 30 and 32 are not only extremely effeclive as rollers in producing a smooth sliding motion of the screen door 16, but because of their vertical axes of rotation and contra-rotating roller sections 62, 66 against The roller means 30 and 32 each includes a mounting bracket 54 having two parallel slots 56 therein for attaching each roller means to the upper rail member 22 of the screen door sash by means of screws 58. The slots 56 are of such length as to permit vertical adjustment of the roller means 30, 32 mainly. Also slight angular adjustment of the vertical axis of rotation of the roller means "30, 32 is permitted due to the width of the slots 56.

Referring now specifically to FIGURES 2 and 3, the adjustable mounting bracket 54, of the roller means 30 or 32, is bent about 90 over the upper edge of the upper rail member 22 to provide a surface 54a for the upright mounting of a roller axle pin 60. The axle pin 66 has a wide, relatively flat head 60a, 2. long bearing surface or shank 60b, and a narrower, lower shank 600 which is flattened on the lower end and thereby aflixed to the mounting bracket surface 54a.

Rotatably mounted to the bearing surface 6% of the axle pin 60 is a first roller 62 including a flanged base 62a having a lower 'frusto-conical surface 63 which engages the ledge structure 36. Extending upwardly from the base 62a is a collar 62b. The collar 62!) has a tapering outside surface, and rotatably mounted thereon and on shoulder 64 is a second roller 66.

The second roller 66 includes a frusto -conical disk having 'a peripheral edge surface 66a which engages the vertical surface of the dependent wall 34a. The rollers 62 and 66 are preferably made of nylon which is selflubricating.

As can be seen in FIGURE 2, the second roller 66 fixed railing structure 36, 34a, respectively, a highly stable and freely sliding screen door 16 is obtained. It is to be noted that the weight of the sliding screen door 16 is primarily carried by the spring-biased wheels 38 and 40- on the ridge railing structure 50 (FIGURE 1).

Furthermore, if the screen door is moved in the lateral direction, inadvertently, while being slid, no binding takes place since either one or the other of the rollers 62, 66 will still be in rolling contact with either wall 34a, wall 68-, or ledge 36. The top-hung rollers of the prior art will however bind.

The contra-rotating roller means 30 and 32 are also very compact, requiring very little space in the casing structure to accommodate the roller means. In particular, as can be seen in FIGURE 2, the roller means are especially compact in a vertical direction. That is, the greater diametrical space required by a vertical roller having a horizontal axis of rotation will reduce the area that can be used to accommodate the screen opening.

Additionally, the mounting means for the sliding screen door 116 permits easy installation or removal thereof. As indicated in FIGURE 2, the screen door '16 can be easily removed by simply tilting the screen door 16 outwardly as indicated by the arrow 76, after the spring-biased Wheels 38 and 40 have been pushed upward to clear the top of the ridge railing structure 50. Installation of the screen door 16 is, of course, accomplished in reverse procedure. The screen door is held tilted, as indicated in FIGURE 2, and as the frusto conical surface of the flanged base 62a is placed above the ledge 36, the screen door is tilted inward to a vertical position and set in place by again compressing the spring-biased wheels 38 and 40 to clear the top of the ridge railing structure 50. The sloping frusto-conical surface engaging the ledge 36 produces continuous engagement of the peripheral edge surface 66a with the wall 34 so that the stabilizing counterrotation of rollers 62 and 66 is maintained. Accordingly, a sliding screen door which is extremely stable and smooth in operation and which can be easily installed or removed very quickly is provided.

The invention described in the above description is, of course, susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detailed construction, and arrangement of parts, without departing from he principles involved, or sacrificing any of its advantages. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and the construction herein disclosed comprise a preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sliding closure member for use in a casing, said casing being adapted to mount the sliding closure member, comprising: a panel member including a normally upper edge and a normally lower edge; roller means having a relatively vertical axis of rotation mounted to said panel member near said upper edge for rotatably engaging upper railing structure of said casing, said roller means including first and second coaxial roller sections respectively engaging a relatively vertical surface of one side of said upper railing structure and a relatively horizontal surface on the other side thereof whereby said second roller section pendently supports said panel member and said roller sections are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said panel member; and wheel means having a relatively horizontal axis of rotation mounted to said panel member near said lower edge for rotatably engaging lower railing structure of said casing whereby a substantial part of the weight of said panel member is carried by said wheel means.

2. A sliding closure member for use in a casing, adapted to mount the same, comprising: a sash member including a normally upper edge and a normally lower edge; and roller means having a relatively vertical axis of rotation mounted to said sash member near said upper edge for rotatably engaging upper railing structure of said casing, said roller means including first and second coaxial roller sections respectively engaging a relatively vertical wall surface on one side of said upper railing structure and a relatively horizontal ledge surface on the other side thereof whereby said second roller section pendently sup ports said sash member and said roller sections are rotated in opposite directions on movement, in the sliding direction, of said sash member.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said first coaxial roller section is of greater diameter than said second roller section.

4. A sliding closure member for use in a right angular, quadrilateral casing adapted to mount the same, comprising: a right angular, quadrilateral panel member including a normally upper edge and a normally lower edge; first and second roller means each having a relatively vertical axis of rotation and mounted tosaid panel member near said upper edge for rotatably engaging upper railing structure of said casing, each said roller means including first and second coaxial roller sections respectively engaging a relatively vertical wall surface of one side of said upper railing structure and a relatively horizontal ledge surface on the other side thereof, said first roller section being of greater diameter than said second roller section whereby said second roller section of said roller means pendently supports said panel member and said first and second roller sections are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said panel member; and first and second spring-biased wheel means each having a relatively horizontal axis of rotation and mounted to said panel member near said lower edge for rotatably engaging lower railing structure of said casing whereby a substantial part of the weight of said panel member is carried by said first and second spring-biased wheel means.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 including, in addition, means for adjusting the relatively vertical position of each of said first and second roller means.

6. In a sliding closure member for use in a casing including a normally upper railing structure having a relatively vertical surface on one side and a relatively horizontal surface on the other side thereof, roller means comprising: an axle pin affixed to the upper end of said closure member; a first roller rotatably mounted on said pin and having a surface in engagement with said relatively horizontal surface of said casing; and a second roller rotatably mounted on a portion of said first roller for concentric rotation about said pin and having a surface in engagement with said relatively vertical surface of said casing diametrically opposite the structure engaged by said first roller, whereby said rollers are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said closure member.

7. In a sliding closure member for use in a casing including a normally upper railing structure having a relatively vertical surface on one side and a relatively horizontal surface on the other side thereof, contra-rotating roller means comprising: an axle pin; means providing a surface for mounting said pin in an upright position at the upper end of said closure member; means for securing said mounting means to said closure member; a first roller rotatably mounted on said pin and having a surface in engagement with said relatively horizontal surface of said casing; and a second roller rotatably mounted on a portion of said first roller for concentric rotation about said pin and having a surface in engagement with said relatively vertical surface of said casing diametrically opposite the structure engaged by said first roller, said second roller having a larger diameter than said first roller whereby said rollers are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said closure member.

8. In a sliding closure member for use in a casing, contra-rotating roller means comprising: an axle pin adapted to be affixed on one end to structure of said 010- sure member; a first roller rotatably mounted on said pin, said first roller including a flanged base having a frustoconical surface for engaging a ledge structure of said casing and a collar extending from said base; and a second roller rotatably mounted on said collar, said second roller including a frusto-conical disk having a base diameter greater than that of said base of said first roller and a peripheral edge surface for engaging a wall structure of said casing diametrically opposite to said ledge structure whereby said rollers are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said closure member.

9. In a sliding closure member for use in a casing, contra-rotating roller means comprising: an axle pin; means providing a surface for mounting said pin in an upright position; means for securing said mounting means to said closure member; a first roller rotatably mounted on said pin, said first roller including a flanged base having a frusto-conical surface for engaging a ledge structure of said casing and a collar extending from said base; and a second roller rotatably mounted on said collar, said second roller including a frusto-conical disk having a base diameter greater than that of said base of said first roller and a peripheral edge surface for engaging a wall structure of said casing diametrically opposite to said ledge structure whereby said rollers are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said closure member.

10. In combination, a casing including a normally upper railing structure having a relatively vertical surface on one side and a relatively horizontal surface on the other side thereof; and a sliding closure member including a panel member having a normally upper edge, and roller means mounted to said panel member near said upper edge for rotatably engaging said upper railing structure of said casing and comprising first and second rollers, having a common relatively vertical axis of rotation, respectively engaging said vertical surface and said horizontal surface of said railing structure, said first roller having a diameter greater than said second when whereby said rollers are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said panel member.

11. In combination, a casing including a normally upper railing structure having a relatively vertical wall surface on one side and a relatively horizontal ledge surface on the other side thereof; and a sliding closure member including a panel member having a normally upper edge, and roller means having a relatively vertical axis of rotation mounted to said panel member near said upper edge for rotatably engaging said upper railing structure, said roller means comprising a first roller including a flanged base having a frusto-conical surface for engaging said horizontal ledge surface, and a collar extending from said base, and a second roller rotatably mounted on said collar, said second roller including a cfrusto-conical disk having a base diameter greater than that of said base of said first roller and a peripheral edge surface for engaging said vertical wall surface diametrically opposite to said 8 vertical ledge surface whereby said rollers are rotated in opposite directions on movement of said panel member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,796,660 Morse Mar. 17, 1931 2,650,387 Foss Sept. '1, 1953 2,912,288 Griswold Nov. 10, 1959 10 3,042,960 Spork July 10, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 674,995 Great Britain July 2, 1952 

1. A SLIDING CLOSURE MEMBER FOR USE IN A CASING, SAID CASING BEING ADAPTED TO MOUNT THE SLIDING CLOSURE MEMBER, COMPRISING: A PANEL MEMBER INCLUDING A NORMALLY UPPER EDGE AND A NORMALLY LOWER EDGE; ROLLER MEANS HAVING A RELATIVELY VERTICAL AXIS OF ROTATION MOUNTED TO SAID PANEL MEMBER NEAR SAID UPPER EDGE FOR ROTATABLY ENGAGING UPPER RAILING STRUCTURE OF SAID CASING, SAID ROLLER MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND COAXIAL ROLLER SECTIONS RESPECTIVELY ENGAGING A RELATIVELY VERTICAL SURFACE OF ONE SIDE OF SAID UPPER RAILING STRUCTURE AND A RELATIVELY HORIZONTAL SURFACE ON THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF WHEREBY SAID SECOND ROLLER SECTION PENDENTLY SUPPORTS SAID PANEL MEMBER AND SAID ROLLER SECTIONS ARE ROTATED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ON MOVEMENT OF SAID PANEL MEMBER; AND WHEEL MEANS HAVING A RELATIVELY HORIZONTAL AXIS OF ROTATION MOUNTED TO SAID PANEL MEMBER NEAR SAID LOWER EDGE FOR ROTATABLY ENGAGING LOWER RAILING STRUCTURE OF SAID CASING WHEREBY A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF THE WEIGHT OF SAID PANEL MEMBER IS CARRIED BY SAID WHEEL MEANS. 